People will probably want to burn me on the stake for this, but I think I know why Russian TV showed this movie maybe like 3 times since mid 90s. It's not a good movie, as people seem to believe.
I have not watched it till 2024, even though I've seen the sequel multiple times and really liked it. One of the reasons was that original 1984 film was not popular on Russian TV, and it a few times, that I did see it in TV program was at very late hours, like after midnight, when I was sleeping (normally). So I finally got a chance to watch it and see what's the fuss all about.
It's not good. The modern term would be "cringy". Yes, I know that it's supposed to be "creepy", since this is a horror/thriller, not an action movie, like all the sequels. But it's not "creepy", it's "cringy". Poor actor performance, poor sound (although that may be understandable considering age and low budget), not that gripping of a story, really.
Looking back at what other movies I saw as a kid, I can understand why "The Terminator" might have been seen as a good one in 1984. It definitely has a bit more attention to details and somewhat better atmosphere compared to a lot of B-movies of the time. The premise was unique, too, so no surprise why it affected the industry the way it did. But if you watch it today and think that this is "the best sci-fi movie ever", you are probably even older than me and looking at it through nostalgia glasses.
"The Terminator 2" became more popular and affected the industry even more, becoming a meme, exactly because it was a better movie. It has its own things, that one could criticize, including the fact it went the "action movie" route, but action-oriented story-telling simply works better for the premise. "Horror" suits "Alien" or "Predator" waaaay more, because you need to survive while being hunted by a creature, that you can't predict at all, and that has "superpowers" in one way or form (unique physiology or unique tech). Terminator, though... Yes, he is tough, he definitely can be a challenge, but not the one that would make you hide holding your breath: you will hide from his bullets while you are reloading instead.
